1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for performing a recording operation by using standard type recording papers wherein data are output by printing them on a standard type recording paper and a method of controlling the foregoing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus preferably employable for a facsimile unit and a method of controlling the foregoing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a laser printer or the like apparatus has been practically used as a recording section in a facsimile unit. To operate the laser printer, a recording paper cut to a standard size has been heretofore used so as to allow data input from the facsimile unit to be recorded on the printing paper.
With respect to the facsimile unit as constructed in the above-described manner, the range where a recording operation can be performed for the recording paper which has been cut to size is not set to the critical dimensions specified for the cut recording paper but the foregoing range is usually determined appreciably narrower than the critical dimensions.
Therefore, even in a case where a manuscript on the signal sending side is written on a recording paper having an A-5 size, there is a possibility that the range where a recording operation can be performed in response to the received image signals exceeds the range where a recording operation can practically be performed for a standard type recording paper having an A-5 size on the signal receiving side.
To prevent a part of the information on the received image from failing to be recorded, data representative of the received image have been hitherto recorded on two and more standard type recording papers each having an A-5 size so as to allow the recorded data to be reliably output to a user.
However, in a case where a quantity of the received image data slightly exceeds the range where a recording operation can be performed for a recording paper having an A-5 size, a large part of the second recording paper is not subjected to printing and thereby it is kept in a completely blank state, resulting in the recording paper being consumed uselessly.
In view of the foregoing fact, to prevent useless consumption of the recording paper as mentioned above, a proposal has been made in such a case where an extra part in excess of the range where a recording operation can be performed for a recording paper having an A-5 size has a quantity smaller than a predetermined threshold, the extra part is discarded and the received image data are then recorded in a single page of standard type recording paper having an A-5 size so as to allow the recorded data to be output.
In addition, another proposal has been made in the following manner.
For example, also with respect to a printer which is constructed such that one of two kinds of standard type recording papers each cut to size to have a same width in the main scanning direction but have different lengths, e.g., A-4 and A-5 is selected and the selected recording paper is fed to a printing section, in a case where a manuscript on the signal sending side is prepared to have an A-5 size, the received image data have a length longer than the length by which an effective recording operation can be performed for an A-5 sized standard type recording paper and a quantity of the extra part in excess of the range where a recording operation can be performed for the standard type recording paper having an A-5 size is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the extra part is discarded and the standard type recording paper having an A-5 size is fed to the printer in which a printing operation is performed for the standard type recording paper.
However, in a case where the recording range for data to be printed slightly exceeds the range where a recording operation can be performed for a recording paper having a standard size, when control is carried out such that a printing operation is performed while the extra part is discarded at all, there is a possibility that important information will fail to be recorded, depending on the kind of data to be printed. In some cases, however, there arises a problem that the important information cannot be printed after completion of the recording operation.
For example, in a case where image data are created in the facsimile unit like at the time of a sending/receiving signal, list output, or the like, and the image data are then printed so as to allow them to be output, all the information is important and the image data often includes information which remains within the critical range relative to recording papers each having a standard size. Therefore, when the foregoing kind of data are printed, if a length of the recorded data becomes longer than the length by which an effective printing operation can be performed for a standard type recording paper and moreover the extra part in excess of the range where a printing operation can be performed for the standard type printing paper has a quantity smaller than a predetermined threshold, there arises another problem that important information fails to be recorded and printed, when the facsimile unit is constructed such that the extra part is discarded and a standard type printing paper is fed to the printer in which a printing operation is performed.